Is it Morally Wrong to use Mice or Dogs in Medical Research – No

When asked if it is morally wrong to use animals in medical research I have to say no. Using animals for research is a necessary step in developing new medical drugs, procedures, and theories. The arbitrary use of animals for any random purpose is wrong. The standards for the use of animals in medical research is strictly regulated. There are many rules and procedures a laboratory has to go through in order to use an animal in an experiment. Committees read and evaluate the experiments to make sure no animal life is going to waste. The committee must be made of at least five members, one non-science member, one member not affiliated with the laboratory, and a veterinarian. These committee members then decide whether or not the knowledge gained in the experiment is worth sacrificing the lives of the animals. During the course of the experiment, veterinarians are constantly monitoring the animals to make sure they aren’t undergoing undue pain or stress. If the experiment requires the animal to be put down, then that is done as humanely as possible.After the experiment, animals that are not euthanized or not used are put up for adoption. Not all animals that are used in laboratories are doomed to be killed. In an immunology study or tumors, tumor production was induced in mice. After the experiment I adopted on of the mice, since the tumor didn’t affect much of it’s daily function or cause it any suffering.As for the question of why we don’t use people for medical experiments, well we do. Many experiments are done again and again with “higher” life forms (yes, there is a hierarchy involved) to make sure they are safe. This means that if a mouse can be used instead of a dog, then is should be; if a fly can be used instead of a mouse, it should be.People have been using animals for a variety or purposes since early history. When man domesticated the animal, he was using it. People use animals for meat, labor, companionship, etc. So why is using animals for the pursuit of knowledge so much more horrible than using animals for meat? I believe that many more animals are used to eat than experiment.